Donald Trump’s campaign was in regular contact with Russian agents during the election, according to the Russians themselves. (Photo; Getty)

Donald Trump was humiliated by Russia today, after it confirmed its agents were involved at a high level in his campaign and behind Wikileaks hacks of Democrats, outing him as a liar and potentially a traitor.

This time, there can be no smug denials of what was clear evidence of a Vladimir Putin connection during the campaign.

A senior Russian diplomat confirmed that key members of Trump’s campaign were in touch with Russian officials during the election.

“Obviously, we know most of the people from his entourage,” said Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov. “… I cannot say that all of them but quite a few have been staying in touch with Russian representatives.”

The contacts “were on a sufficient, responsible level,” Ryabkov said in an interview with the state-run Interfax news agency.

Russia made a similar outreach to Democrat Hillary Clinton’s campaign but the overtures were rejected, ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told Bloomberg News.

If any campaign aides join the Trump administration they will be required to disclose their foreign contacts, which could subject them to an FBI background investigation, according to The Washington Post.

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But at this point, the FBI under Republican James Comey is so discredited, it’s a question whether anything the Trump administration does will draw serious attention.

The Trump International Hotel & Tower in Toronto went bankrupt earlier this month, revealing Trump’s partner–a Russian billionaire business mogul with ties to Putin. The hotel bankruptcy involves more than $300 million.

A Russian analyst also confirmed that his country was behind WikiLeaks, which flooded the Internet with stolen emails from the Clinton campaign and the Democratic National Committee.

Russia had clear political goals in mind when it intervened in the election on Trump’s behalf. They want the United States to drop its support of the government in Ukraine.

Trump made no secret of his fondness for Putin during the campaign, but he consistently denied Russia was involved, even though two of his top aides, Michael Flynn and Carter Page have extensive ties to the Russian dictator.

Trump also aided Russian efforts to discredit the American election by claiming repeatedly that the results would be rigged. In a way, they were. Trump won the electoral college, but lost the popular vote to Clinton.

Trump also played into Russia’s hands by talking down the NATO alliance and hinting that the U.S. would be reluctant to get involved should Russia take military action against NATO aligned countries.

The Russians were also clearly sending a message that they shaped the U.S. election–which has already sent chills throughout U.S. European allies.

Keith Girard has 30 years of experience as an award-winning reporter, editor-in-chief, and senior media executive. Keith’s career began in Washington, D.C., where he was a reporter for The Washington Post and a contributing editor for Regardie's and Washingtonian magazines. He also worked as a writer/producer in CNN's Washington Bureau and has written one book on the U.S. Marines in the Gulf War.